Famous People From St James, NY
Famous People from St. James, NY
In the last several decades, a lot of effort has gone towards keeping St. James, NY very quaint, with a lot of success. The historic unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Smithtown in New York’s Suffolk County, where the old continues to exist with the new ñ albeit uneasily ñ continues to charm a lot of people, especially the rich and famous. Here are a few famous folks who not only made headlines but also shaped the history of the hamlet.
Stanford White
Born in 1853, Stanford White might only be known to history and architecture buffs. The American architect co-founded the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, which later turned to Beaux-Arts firms. During his illustrious career, White would design houses for the rich and famous. He also had a hand in many public, institutional, and religious buildings that feature his design principles influenced by American Renaissance. White died in 1906 after Harry Kendall Thaw, a mentally ill millionaire shot him after becoming suspicious of White’s relationship with his wife, Evelyn Nesbit, an actress.
William Jay Gaynor
Gaynor is another famous name to come from Saint James, although you might not have heard of him. He was a prominent politician from New York who served as the mayor of the City of New York between 1910 and 1913. He also served as a New York Supreme Court Justice before taking up mayoral duties. Gaynor is best remembered for breaking rank and refusing to take orders from Charles Francis Murphy, the then Tammany boss.
Mike Foley
Now, this is a name you might readily recognize, especially if you are a wrestling and WWE fan. Born Michael Francis Foley on June 1965, the former wrestler, color commentator, and author today resides in Garden City in New York. During his wrestling career, he worked for various outfits like WWF, WCW, ECW, and NWA. If you ask any WWE fan, they’ll tell you he’s right up there with the likes of Hulk Hogan. Foley was part of the 1999 Wrestle Mania and appeared as a special referee in the 2000 edition of the competition. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
Soledad O’Brien
Maria de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien is a famous name in the American broadcast journalism circles and is fromt Saint James. She is also an executive producer, and today she hosts “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien” a talk show produced by Hearst Television. She is also the chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a company she founded in 2013.